Agencies work to curb illegal fireworks

Public safety agencies monitor illegal fireworks throughout the entire year, but it stands to reason their activity picks up the closer to Fourth of July.

Shea Johnson Staff Writer @DP_Shea

Public safety agencies monitor illegal fireworks throughout the entire year, but it stands to reason their activity picks up the closer to Fourth of July.

"Firework-related responses, fires, injuries and contacts in the High Desert area this year have been minimal, approximately two calls to date," San Bernardino County Fire spokeswoman Tracey Martinez said this month. "However we expect that to increase for June and July."

County Fire routinely partners with cities to do public outreach, education, interdiction and enforcement. Last year, an interdiction operation netted 25,000 pounds of illegal fireworks entering the county.

While fireworks are illegal in most jurisdictions in the county, there are a select few municipalities where "safe and sane" fireworks are allowed, described as fireworks that don't have effects or explode.

In the High Desert, only Adelanto and Barstow belong to this group. Officials in Adelanto recently kickstarted a fund, however, to entice whistleblowers to aid curbing the use of non-safe fireworks or the use of fireworks outside the permitted timeframe, June 28 and July 4.

In Barstow, the city's firework season runs each year June 17 through July 16. The Barstow Police Department has already started to receive calls about illegal fireworks, Police Capt. Andrew Espinoza said, "we experience a very high volume of calls."

In 2016, police responded to 148 such calls, arrested one person, issued 11 citations and confiscated 102 illegal fireworks. The department has responded to only 16 calls so far this year.

"Every year we develop a Fireworks Operation plan to ensure a safe and coordinated effort in enforcing illegal fireworks possession and use," Espinoza said. "This includes educating the public on the use of illegal fireworks, teaming our officers with firefighters and deploying them together, and staffing additional patrol officers, to include undercover officers, to identify and address the use of illegal fireworks."

Jason Nailon, fire marshal for Apple Valley Fire Protection District, said the health of the economy can be reflective of illegal firework use: "When the economy is good or on an uptick as it is now, people buy illegal fireworks."

He added that Adelanto's allowance of safe-and-sane fireworks increased the presence of them in the other tri-cities in the High Desert, where they're illegal: Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville.

There were were 62 calls for illegal fireworks in 2016, he said, and "only a few" in Apple Valley so far this year.

Being in possession of illegal fireworks could result in a fine of $1,250 for a first offense with the possibility of arrest. Additionally, property owners may be cited if they allow fireworks to be possessed, stored or used on the property.

From Dec. 1, 2015 to July 31, 2016, the Hesperia Sheriff's Station handled 368 calls for service regarding fireworks. Since Dec. 1, there have only been 41 calls.

"Hesperia Station is proactively enforcing fireworks laws in conjunction with County Fire Prevention Units," Sgt. James Hoffman said. "In May, proactive enforcement resulted in two seizures of large amounts of illegal, aerial-type fireworks."

Proactive patrol with additional deputies enforcing fireworks laws, he added, will continue all year long.

In Victorville, where Martinez said a majority of High Desert calls stemmed from in 2016, violating its fireworks provision is a misdemeanor.

"We rely on our public safety officials for enforcement; and we rely on our Fire Department to educate our community about the dangers of fireworks," city spokeswoman Sue Jones said. "In addition, the city typically issues public announcements regarding the prohibition of fireworks through a combination of press releases, social media, website postings and utility bill inserts."

Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or SJohnson@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.